The moment you think bachelorette, you’re probably thinking alcohol-fuelled benders, cheeky games, and the customary phallic accoutrements that are characteristic of the pre-wedding party or getaway. Sure, these escapades can lead to some legendary memories, but by the end of it, they’ll likely leave your liver more overworked than the bartender who poured all your tequila shots.
So it’s no surprise that in an era where people between the ages of 25 and 40 prefer investing in health and wellness over buying their first home, the pre-wedding tradition is starting to look a little different. While bachelorette and bachelor parties have long been hailed as the ultimate last hurrah, there’s a growing trend of to-be-weds ditching the drunken debauchery in favour of experiences grounded in wellness therapies and healing practices.
With most of her friends scattered around the globe, Mumbai-based language teacher Maria Kurkova had given up all hope of bringing her closest ones together for a bachelorette getaway, until her friend Rachita surprised her with a four-night stay at Ananda Spa, a luxury wellness retreat nestled in the Himalayan foothills, in October this year. “I couldn’t have imagined a more fitting bachelorette retreat,” Kurkova says. After four days immersed in therapies including Ayurvedic massages, aromatherapy, sound meditation, yoga, and mindful walks in the tranquillity of the mountains, Kurkova returned feeling more recharged than ever.
Read Shamani Joshi's full story on why a wellness-focused bachelorette might be just what the doctor ordered.
